Memphis mom claims 10-year-old son killed himself after her violent punishment

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis police have launched an investigation into the death of a 10-year-old after his mother reportedly disciplined him.

Authorities were called to the family's apartment on Saturday and discovered Jaheim McKinzie unresponsive in an ambulance. The child was reportedly bleeding from his chest, according to WREG.

He died an hour later at a hospital.

His mother, Robin McKinzie, told first responders she was whipping her son with an extension cord and choking him as a form of punishment when he ran into the kitchen and stabbed himself.

McKinzie’s neighbors are left in disbelief after hearing about the death of the young boy. A close friend of McKinzie’s, who does not want to be identified, says that McKinzie became distant this past year, and she didn’t know why.

“All I can say is that she was a good mother, and her son was her life,” said the woman. “Her son was her life.”

McKinzie is being held on an aggravated child abuse charge and a $100,000 bond.